EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels issued a statement regretting that these images were distressing to Muslims.
At the same time, they said the EU strongly condemns all violent acts and threats against citizens and property of the EU, its member states, as well as of other countries.
The cartoons, first published last year in a Danish newspaper and reprinted this winter in other European newspapers, sparked worldwide protests by Muslims. Dozens of people have died in violence related to the protests in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.
(Reuters, AP)